It was another sleepless night.

Su Jingyang tossed and turned on the bed. He lifted the quilt and got up, turning on the lamp, and sitting in front of his desk to play video games. He stared at the glowing screen of the computer intently, mechanically moving his hands. It's been more than half a month since he came back, and he had spent almost all his nights like this.

His body was extremely tired, but he couldn't sleep. At night, he would either wake up to watch TV, play games, or walk around his small living room in a daze. He felt like his heart had been hollowed out. He could only force himself to close his eyes for a while before dawn, and then simply clean up and go to work.

Su Jingyang was sluggish, his colleagues quickly noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked him about it. No one believed him when he told them the truth, and no one could help him. Only a wound on his neck that came from being scratched by his youngest son served as a reminder to him. He was thrown into a different world by the system and spent almost seven years with Rong Ci. It was all real, yes, it wasn't just a dream he had after passing out in the pantry.

Time in this world advanced steadily without any abnormality. His female colleagues still talked about the pregnant woman who jumped from a building from time to time, sighing to themselves. Su Jingyang listened silently. Suddenly, there was a sensation of pain in his throat, his chest became stuffy. Nowadays, he would feel like this whenever hearing about such a topic.

He spent a few more days like a soulless man. It was the weekend, and he wandered around his home for a long time. Finally, took his coat and went to the nearby square. The sun shone down on him, Su Jingyang found a bench and sat down. He watched the people come and go in a daze. After staring for a long time, his eyes gradually lost focus.

There was the noise and laughter of children, the soothing music for practising Tai Chi, and the crying of babies. Everything was full of vigour and vitality, only he was sitting here alone, like a dead tree, his heart was barren.

At that moment, a young mother pushing a twin set stroller sat on the empty spot next to him. She then hurriedly took off the bulging shoulder bag and began to change the baby's diapers.

Su Jingyang's lips moved slightly, and he subtly straightened up, staring at the two children in the stroller. Both seemed to be boys, they looked more or less five to six months old.

Su Jingyang thought of his twins. After returning to Rongcheng, he was obviously unhappy. The two children came over to accompany him after finishing their studies to make him laugh, they were undeniably well-behaved and caring. Su Jingyang's heart suddenly became extremely painful, to the point where he couldn't breathe.

The child didn't urinate, but he had defecated and there was a foul smell. The young mother tidied up while blushing and apologising to Su Jingyang who was looking towards her: "I'm sorry, so sorry, I'm going to finish soon."

Su Jingyang smiled lightly, he said, "It's okay."

She still seemed to be uneasy and apologised to him several more times. Su Jingyang said: "It's really fine, don't worry about me¹."

After the young mother finished changing the baby's diapers, the other one cried out with pursed lips. He should've been hungry if not soaked with pee, so she had to hug the baby and coax him. But she couldn't coax him well enough, the more the child cried, the louder he was, eventually, the other one also joined in.

She was afraid of disturbing Su Jingyang, carrying a backpack with one hand, and holding a child in one other. She was preparing to leave with the stroller when Su Jingyang said, "There's no other place available, sit down, I also have children at home, and they cry harder than yours."

She sat down again, continuously praising Su Jingyang as a good Samaritan. She then continued to coax the child, and also wanted to hold the other baby inside the stroller, Su Jingyang said before thinking, "Or... I can help. "

Her eyes darted towards him with some caution. She looked at Su Jingyang, and hesitantly let him hold the other one.

As a result, the one in Su Jingyang's arms stopped crying first. She was very surprised, she didn't expect him to calm the child faster than her.

"That... what's wrong with you?"

Su Jingyang turned his head when he heard her question, she asked a little worriedly: "Why are you crying?"

Su Jingyang raised the back of his hand and touched his cheek, only then did he realize that it was wet. He quickly wiped his face, and returned the child in his arms, he said with a smile: "It's fine, I just missed my family and my children. We... live in different places, so we rarely get to see each other."

Su Jingyang wiped away his tears, and after sitting for a while, the young mother thanked him and left.

At night, he continued to play games without expression in his rented space. Suddenly, an earth-shattering noise and the sharp cry of a child rang next door. He had lived here for more than a year, and he knew that a young couple was renting opposite him. The young wife was bed-ridden for most of the time while she was pregnant, but she couldn't afford to quit her job. Later, because she gave birth to a daughter, the mother-in-law was full of complaints. The couple eloped and left their hometown, because the mother-in-law was in poor health she wasn't able to chase after them. They had stayed here until now, the child was almost half a year old.

Before going out every day, the young woman would put on beautiful make-up in a vigorous spirit. Gradually, she became busy at home and stayed there every day. Su Jingyang would sometimes hear her coaxing the child in the corridor at the middle of the night.

Su Jingyang had only faintly sympathized before, after all, he had never really experienced a real family dynamic, but his mood was a little different now. Identifying the noises that day as a bit strange, he got up and went next door to check the situation.

The things inside the room were in a mess: clothes, shoes and toys were laid out randomly. The husband and wife were both seething, and the child was crying heartbreakingly on the sofa, wrapped only in a bath towel. His face was already bright red, but the two of them were too angry to bother about it.

Su Jingyang hurriedly stepped forward and hugged the pitiful little kid. It was probably because of the presence of an outsider, but the two of them didn't continue to quarrel. They sat down on both ends of the sofa, finally calm and silent.

Since Su Jingyang already made the things here his business, he coaxed the child and asked a few questions. As a result, the two started quarrelling again. Su Jingyang made out the general gists, and it was almost as expected. The husband worked all day and felt that he had contributed enough as he worked hard to get the money to support his family. Once back, he'd refuse to help and didn't want to take care of the child, playing computer games instead. The wife took care of the children day and night. She was so tired her back would suffer from sores, and she would forget to take a change of clothes when bathing the child at night. Because of this, she asked her husband to help them.

The contradiction that had accumulated for a long time finally broke out.

The man accused me: "I think you're the one who's lazy! Apart from looking after the child at home, you don't cook, clean, or organize. The entire house is messed up, you're deliberately picking a fight with me!"

Su Jingyang couldn't listen anymore. He returned the child who had already fallen asleep in his arms, too tired from crying. The man's neck stiffened and he didn't move, while the woman cried and embraced the child, choking up and thanking Su Jingyang, she then told him to excuse the disturbance they caused him.

Su Jingyang didn't persuade them to do anything. Seeing that their fighting had ceased, he went back to his house.

That Monday, Su Jingyang sat in his living room and listening to the sound of the man going out. He then changed his shoes and went out to knock on the opposite door.

Faced with the slightly surprised look of his neighbour, Su Jingyang said: "If he thinks it's easy for you to take care of the child at home, change positions with him and give him this simple job."

Su Jingyang knew that he acted a little abruptly. But now, he was a bit unable to shrug it off with a sigh like before.

That man had an ordinary clerical job. He currently had a fixed salary for every month, but the woman did much higher in terms of ability and salary. Su Jingyang felt that no matter what, she should at least fight back and not get so embarrassing.

Su Jingyang began to worry about whether he'd be scolded as a villain who liked provoking fights. After all, no matter how gallantly he wanted to address injustice, this was also a matter for the husband and wife to decide. Maybe they've quarrel the day before, but would stick together like glue the day after.

But the woman didn't disappoint him. He didn't know how she managed, but she quickly went out to find a new job. She began dressing in her former outfits and restored some of her previous looks and confidence, the man also agreed to take care of the children. Su Jingyang needed to go to work on weekdays, he didn't know about the situation there. It wasn't until he heard them arguing again, that he found out: the child had a fever. The husband was playing on the computer unknowingly, and it was wife who had just came back who found out.

Su Jingyang worried his heart. He was afraid that she'd compromise because of this incident and her worry about the child...

Su Jingyang later found out that his worries were unnecessary. The child stayed in the hospital for a period of time, but after he was discharged, the woman continued to go to work every day, while the man continued to be upset at home. He awkwardly took care of the child but he didn't dare to be careless anymore after that bout of illness. He was a lot more serious about it than before.

The weather was hot, and the tenants often keep their doors open to use as convections to ventilate. Su Jingyang poured himself some water in the living room. He heard the woman coming back from work and asking the man why he hasn't cooked yet. The man was panting while holding the child who had just fallen asleep. He angrily stared at her, but didn't say anything.

The woman didn't say much, she rolled up her sleeves and said, "Forget it, I'll do it."

"...I'll do it, wife, you take the child to the room to sleep." The man tiredly proposed.

After a while, he heard the sound of cooking from their kitchen.

Su Jingyang showed a faint smile, it was his first smile since returning to this world. He put the water glass aside and gently closed the door of his house.

Whether it was happy or sad, it didn't leave an impact on him. He seemed to have become a passerby in the world he truly belonged to.

The life on the other side became more and more peaceful and harmonious, and their usual quarrels were gone, but Su Jingyang's life became more and more stale. Sometimes he couldn't even remember the year or month of the day. He didn't know if it had been a few weeks, or a few months. His soul seemed to have left for somewhere, longing for someone, leaving him with just an empty body.

It was that day when it finally happened. He was holding the remote control in his hand, randomly turning to a period drama that he didn't know. There was nothing special about it, but the male protagonist in it was dressed in black and very handsome. There was smile between his brows,

Su Jingyang couldn't hear a word whenever he said his lines. His heart suddenly felt like it was being fiercely cut by a knife, and his blood flowed freely.

The breath that he had been holding the entire time was finally vented. He didn't even have the strength to keep sitting upright. First he cried quietly, and then he cried out. His extremely desolate crying became more and more unstoppable. He began to break down and wail, crying hysterically; desperately.

He wanted Rong Ci, he missed the children, he missed Ah-Li... He didn't want to stay here alone, he couldn't hold on, he wanted to go back.

Rong Ci and the children must also miss him very much. He wanted to go back, but who could even help him go back?

The young couple on the opposite side heard his movements, they brought the child over and came to check on him and comfort him. Su Jingyang cried and cried until his voice was hoarse, he finally fell asleep on the sofa.

When Su Jingyang became conscious again, he found that he was standing on the top of a tall building. The tears on his cheeks were cold and the night breeze whirred by his ears. He looked at the abyss-like darkness under his feet. After a momentary daze, he suddenly turned around. He found that his neighbour was standing behind him, smiling gently at him.

Su Jingyang's scalp numbed slightly, the woman said, "You helped me, so I will help you too."

She reached out and pushed him hard.

Su Jingyang's body began to fall. He didn't give into panic or fear, just quietly closing his eyes.

Then...

He landed steadily. His feet were the first to greet the ground, not his body.

The sound of people yelling reached his ears, the sounds of children chasing and playing, the sounds of guards walking in orderly steps. Su Jingyang's heart began to beat violently. He quickly opened his eyes in surprise, it was as if a painting had suddenly come alive in front of him. People in ancient clothing came and went, walking on the wide and lively streets. There were inns and restaurants framing the road, there was a vegetable stall and a shop. A group of guards on patrol walking from not far away, and the group of children heading to their classes were crowded and noisy.

In an instant, Su Jingyang seemed to feel a brilliant firework exploding in his mind. His whole face came alive, this was Rongcheng, Rongcheng! ! !

This streets were very close to the main hall. He didn't know how many times he had walked it before, he'd never mistake it for anything else!

He unexpectedly came back! ! !

Su Jingyang touched his hair, which had recovered its length, and looked at the red mole on the palm of his hand. He was wearing a light blue wide-sleeved shirt on his body, and the long stifled brilliance of his eyes finally began to burn again.

He restrained a scream of ecstasy that was about to overflow his throat, and used his legs to madly run at the direction of Palace. The few of city guards who guarded the hall raised their eyebrows when they saw him. He ran without slowing down, however, he was stopped unceremoniously.

"--Who dares trespass!"

Su Jingyang was stunned for a moment. Where did the group of guys come from to not recognise him. He was very anxious to see Rong Ci and the children again, pointing to his face: "Me, me! The wife of the City Lord, I've returned, let me in!"

When the guards at the door heard his answer, they shared a glance with each other, one of them sneered coldly: "Where did this lunatic come from? Returning wife of the City Lord? Our City Lord is over 80 years old and had never married. How could he have a wife?"

Su Jingyang froze, his eyes dulled, "...What did you say???"

Su Jingyang was driven away. His heart that had just lifted fell back down again, shattering in the mud. He stood in shock for a long time. Rong Ci was now eighty years old. He did come back to the right world, at the right place, but he went back to the wrong time.

Rong Ci had never married like Ming Jiasheng said. He has no heirs, he probably didn't even know who Su Jingyang was, and their four children...

Su Jingyang felt all of his strength get taken away. He suddenly fell to the ground.

Su Jingyang was deeply shocked, but he kept running to the the hall every day, trying to fish in troubled waters and find a way to get inside. But how could he know that the place where he used to go in and out freely, would now feel separated by a moat. For the first time, Su Jingyang deeply realized that the security of the hall was so tight.

Su Jingyang lingered for more than ten days, and in the end, couldn't even see Rong Ci's face. He sat down in a corner disheartenedly and fell asleep tiredly. When he opened his eyes again, he realized that his situation was a little wrong. The surrounding walls had changed and turned into a very spacious and elegant room, with light-colored veils floating gently with the wind.

Su Jingyang only took a look, but couldn't help taking in a breath. This was the Sky and Water Palace, and it was the place where he and Rong Ci used to lived. Why did he suddenly appear here?

Although he thought that it was strange in his heart, this was a good thing for him. After he realised that he'd be able to see Rong Ci by staying here, his other thoughts and questions were put aside for the time being.

Su Jingyang suddenly heard some crisp chirping sounds from the birds outside, as well as some people talking. He was not far from the window, so he slightly moved closer. He saw a gray-haired old man wearing a a dark, wide-sleeved shirt, he was feeding the birds under the tree outside. Although he was old, his figure was still tall and thin. Even with the lines of the years, one cold see the dazzling demeanor he had in his youth. He was idle and indifferent, idly chatting with the beautiful teenager next to him.

Su Jingyang recognized him with a glance. He grasped the edge of the window with both hands, tears almost burst from his eyes. Rong Ci, Rong Ci...

The boy said: "Great grandfather misses you, but he's an old man now and its inconvenient to move. He can't come back, so he just wants to let us juniors go to Rongcheng and walk around."

Rong Ci laughed. His voice wasn't the same as it was when he was young. He didn't look old, but still felt calm and stable. "He enjoys his blessing in Yishui Ning's house, so why is he always interested in my business?"

The young man sighed, "Who told you to not marry for life, there's no one to take care of you, so how could he feel relieved? I don't know if the world's to blame for lacking in its beauties, none of them can catch your eye."

Rong Ci looked back at the young man, he shook his head and smiled. After a while, the birds all flew away, and he said with a slightly sad expression, "Probably... I couldn't met the person in my heart in this life."

At that moment, he turned his head back. Su Jingyang adjusted slightly and saw a piece of jade his waist. It was a worn brave jade pendant that obviously didn't match his identity and style.

Su Jingyang squatted down, he began to wipe his fiercer and fiercer tears, his heart felt like a mess.

"What are you crying for?"

Su Jingyang was startled, he suddenly raised his tears stained eyes and found that Rong Ci had positioned himself in front of him at some point. He walked towards him, tilting his head slightly, and crouching to his level.

He wasn't even surprised about why there was an extra person in his house.